PETA’s Naked Agenda

Do you care about animals? Do you care about porn? Well then, today is your lucky day! Animal rights activist group, People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has launched a site for you. The eye-popping website features naked porn stars and vegetarian sex tips, including advice on how to boost your sex drive with vegetables.

The adult-only site, called PETA.XXX.com, was introduced by famously unattractive porn star (and animal lover) Ron Jeremy. “This is the perfect example of sex just being used to draw interest,” he explained, “and then once you’re there on the site, we’re going to hit you with facts that you need to know about the world of animals.”

Justifying the approach, PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajit said, “We live in a 24-hour news cycle world, and we learn the racy things we do are sometimes the most effective way that we can reach particular individuals.” The porn site will raise awareness of veganism, said Rajt. “We really want to grab people’s attention, get them talking… we can help the greatest number of animals by not eating them.”

The PR Verdict: “C” (Distinctly OK) for PETA and its promo porn. While it may grab the headlines on day one, it raises potential problems that go beyond splash coverage.

PR Takeaway: Resist the quick hit and the quick headline. Yes, PETA’s website and launch has garnered media attention, but for an organization already known for outrageous PR stunts, this seems desperate. With Ron Jeremy as a key spokesperson, PETA risks being excluded permanently from any serious debate about animal welfare and food sustainability. More importantly, PETA’s supporters may be as opposed to porn on the grounds that it exploits women, as they are opposed to the exploitation of animals. What will Ron Jeremy say then?

What is Your PR Verdict?

A “C” grade was much too generous, Mark. You’re going all squishy on us!

PETA’s big problem, in reality and as a matter of public image, is its own adamantine dogmatism, undisfigured by any kind of nuance or exception, which often seems to have more to do with the emotional instability of its members, who appear to be of a rather obsessive-compulsive disposition, than with any carefully considered judgment. This leads PETA invariably to sanctimonious and self-absorbed at best, or destructive at worst, antics that usually entail a fair degree of embarrassment, for me if not for PETA. The ad you cite is only a particularly extreme variation on the same theme.

And once that happens, it’s all over. Any truth, as others might see it, that PETA may espouse is completely drowned out by all the noise, and they end up talking only to themselves. But of course the people who propagate these messages are likely too loopy to understand that in the first place, and would probably be uncomfortable having sane, rational, allies, even if they could attract them.